Sunday, December 20, 2015

Customers of clean energy programs hit with fee increase
The California Public Utilities Commission voted Thursday to allow a nearly 100 percent price increase
on exit fees for customers leaving Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for
green energy programs like CleanPowerSF and Marin Clean Energy, which
will make those and similar programs more expensive.
Many of the programs — where local governments buy green electricity
for their residents, while private utilities own and operate the
electrical grid — will be undermined financially by the uptick in the
charge, called the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment, their officials
say.
“We are not surprised that the increase was approved,” said Marin
Clean Energy spokeswoman Alexandra McCroskey. “We are disappointed. Our
primary frustrations come from the fact that we are becoming almost
liable for the market fluctuations for both ourselves and PG&E. If
PG&E isn’t planning appropriately for people leaving for community
choice aggregation programs, the PCIA will continue to increase. It’s
poor planning.”